EAST MOLINE, Ill. — It's officially spooky season, so our librarians have gathered three books for all ages to get into the Halloween spirit!
Every other Wednesday on our 4 p.m. show, The Current, we bring you a book-club-style segment called "Current Reads." We chat with libraries all over our viewing area to hear what people are reading in their community. For this edition, we're staying close to home, with the East Moline Public Library.
Librarian Abby Sauer joined us on The Current to discuss the three books readers in East Moline can't put down:
- "The Secret Dead Club" by Karen Strong has been described as "The Baby-Sitters Club" meets Stranger Things. Our main character, Wednesday Thomas, can see ghosts but doesn't exactly love her ability. It isn't until a terrifying experience causes Wednesday and her mother to move back to Georgia that she meets other girls who also know about the spirit realm. Eventually, Wednesday must enlist the help of her friends - both living and dead - to save her from another cruel ghost in this story all about friendship, fitting in and the afterlife. This is the perfect book for younger readers, according to our librarians.
- "The Champions (The Cheerleaders)" by Kara Thomas is the sequel to the wildly popular "The Cheerleaders" book. It's a dark, young-adult thriller that follows the mysterious accident of a high school football player, eleven years after the events of the first book. When young Hadley moves to the town of Sunnybrook, she joins the school's newspaper. She soon starts to receive strange emails, warning her to stay away from covering the football team, after one of the athletes is poisoned. When another player is mysteriously killed, Hadley begins to wonder if this has something to do with the deaths of five cheerleaders, eleven years ago. While this book is geared toward a YA audience, our librarians say readers of all ages can't put this one down.
- "The Body Harvest" by Michael J. Seidlinger is the library's adult pick for this spooky trio. Will and Olivia meet at a grief share group and quickly bond with each other over their shared brokenness. However, they also discover that they both seek out sickness. As the two become virus chasers (Will is drawn to the flu while Olivia only feels comfortable if she's suffering from a fever), they find an entire online community of like-minded people. But when the mysterious Zaff walks into their life, claiming he knows where the latest outbreaks will drop, Will and Olivia decide to take their hobby to the next level.
Beyond the books, the library also wants to invite the public to join the spooky mood with its 8th annual Haunted House. This will run from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26.
The haunted house is put on by the Teen Library Council and Teen Department Staff. Attending is free, but donations are welcome at the door to help fund more programs and events for the Teen Library Council. This is ages 12 and up.
"You think teens are putting it on it can't be that bad," said Sauer. "It's terrifying! Like they're very, very into it, and they do such a good job. The tagline this year is 'Descend into the depths of forgotten souls. Will you make it out?'"
Consequently, the library will be closed that Thursday, Friday and Saturday for the event.
And for those who aren't as into the spooks and scares, the library is hosting a Daytime Spooktacular on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. This will be a fun atmosphere with costumes, makeup and cheerful actors who will greet patrons with smiles and waves, rather than scares and screams. There will be trick-or-treating as you walk through the library and it is free to attend.
Sauer also pointed out that the library is now offering digital access cards. These are available to anyone — you do not have to live in East Moline to participate.
The cards give users access to the library's digital collection, including Libby, audiobooks, e-books and databases supporting reading, career exploration, skills, hobbies, academics, business and more. It also grants access to Freegal, a free music streaming site, and Kanopy, which offers free TV and movie streaming.
You can either apply for a digital card here, or by visiting the library in person.
Tune into The Current from 4 to 5 p.m. on weekdays to catch live interviews impacting you, your family and your hometown as well as all of the biggest headlines of the day.